Unfamiliar Road
by akat24
Summary: Tony's philandering ways were bound to get him into trouble one day, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Spoilers:** All of BtVS, both Iron Man movies, and the Avengers movie.  
**Disclaimer:** BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon. The Avengers and Iron Man belong to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Marvel Comics.  
**A/N:** I'm compressing the Avengers' timeline a bit so the end of the first Iron Man movie/beginning of the second aligns with the BtVS series finale. Hope you don't mind!

* * *

Pepper took a deep breath. The timing was bad. She knew that. Ever since Tony had announced to the world that he was Iron Man, he had become preoccupied, distant. But this couldn't wait any longer. Twenty three years was long enough.

Besides, it wasn't as though there was ever a good time to tell someone they had a fully grown daughter. Especially one with a... 'colorful' past like his did.

It was probably best if she just got this over with.

With that, Pepper smoothed down her skirt and pushed the door to the lab open.

Not surprisingly, Tony was working on the arc reactor, completely engrossed in whatever it was he was doing, not bothering to acknowledge Pepper's presence.

Pepper suppressed a sigh. He _would_ make this as difficult as possible, wouldn't he?

"Tony," she said. When there was no response, she tried again, this time louder. "Tony. TONY."

Never looking up, Tony smirked. "Do you just like the sound of my name, or do you have something to say?"

Pepper frowned, her sympathy for him rapidly vanishing.

"I've been going through Obadiah's files, and... I've found something, something you need to see," she said, placing the folder in front of him. Then, before he could object – like she knew he would – she continued on. "Before your... detainment in Afghanistan, Obadiah was looking for ways to discredit you. Apparently, he found one. In fact, he was about to go to the presses with it."

Tony snorted. "That was his master plan? A smear campaign? Well, you know what they say. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will—"

"Tony, you have a daughter."

If the situation wasn't so serious, Pepper would've laughed at the look on his face. It wasn't often someone managed to make the great Tony Stark speechless, after all.

As it was, though, she simply put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"But... how..." he sputtered.

Pepper arched her eyebrow at this. "I think you of all people know the answer to that," she said. Then, a bit more gently, she added, "Read the file. It's all in there."

Still dazed, Tony did as he was told, his eyes rapidly scanning the reports. With each turn of the page, the shocked look faded a little more, and Pepper could see the wheels in his head starting to turn.

When he had finally finished, he slapped the file down on the table.

"So, I have a daughter born out of a meaningless one night stand twenty three years ago who is now a convicted felon serving time in LA state penitentiary," he summed up, a wry grin on his face.

Pepper shook her head, and the smile dimmed a little. "No, Stane's report is a few months old. I did some research and discovered that she – _Faith_ – is now an _escaped_ felon, having broken out of jail a week ago, last seen headed toward Sunnydale, the town that turned into a crater overnight," she revealed.

At first, Tony didn't say anything. Then he sighed.

"This isn't something I can just throw money at, is it?"

Pepper shook her head. "No," she confirmed.

Tony pouted. "But I'm so good at it."

Pepper ignored this. "I do have a solution..." she began.

And she did. She had thought this out very carefully. Because although the murder conviction was troubling, this was Tony's _daughter_, who by all accounts, did not have an easy childhood. Add to that the fact that there were some very suspicious aspects to the crime, including a deceased Mayor whose shady dealings could match Obadiah's, and well, there was only one thing they could do.

Tony wasn't going to like it, though.

It must've been written all over her face, because Tony suddenly started shaking his head. Very emphatically.

"No. No. No, no, NO. Do not go there, Pepper," he warned.

Pepper said nothing. She simply waited.

After a few beats, Tony slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned, "I'll owe Fury a favor after this, won't I?"

"Yes."

One of Tony's eyes peeked at Pepper through his fingers. "And he won't ever let me forget it, will he?"

Pepper bit the inside of her cheek. "Highly doubtful."

The eye disappeared.

"Damn."

* * *

A/N: I wrote this story last year. I'm hoping that reposting what I have will help motivate me to continue on - before the next Avengers movie! I'm also hoping there's interest in seeing where this goes...


	2. Chapter 2

"We have a reconnaissance assignment. In downtown Los Angeles."

This took Barton by surprise. Coulson could see it on the marksman's face as he gave Coulson a sideways glance, his bow lowering a notch or two in the process.

He couldn't blame the guy. A man of Barton's talents was not usually assigned to places like LA, let alone for a simple recon mission.

But then, this was no ordinary time. Recent developments had, to say the least, put S.H.I.E.L.D. on its ear. The abrupt and inexplicable implosion of a Southern Californian town had a way of doing that.

That had really galled the Director, Coulson knew. They had been aware of the slayer situation for quite some time now. Thanks to the Initiative debacle, however, no one had been allowed to interfere in the affairs of the slayer or Sunnydale under _any_ circumstances.

Even in the face of this unprecedented catastrophic event – coupled with multiple reports that all indicated the slayers' numbers had grown exponentially – the top brass remained quiet, effectively tying Fury's hands.

Then Stark called, and everything changed. Suddenly, they had an opportunity to bring both Stark and the slayers into the fold with minimal effort on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s part.

It was far from perfect, though. There were multiple variables, the biggest being Stark and the slayers themselves.

That was where he and Barton came in.

Coulson cleared his throat.

"We're following a group of refugees from Sunnydale," he explained. "Based on our intel, there are approximately two dozen, mostly female, between the ages of 15 and 23—"

"I'm being sent to watch a bunch of teenage girls?" Barton snorted.

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "—who, from all accounts, are mystical warriors, each with the strength of ten men and an instinctual fighting ability that allows them to take down various demons and other supernatural creatures," he continued. "Technically, our assignment is strictly to monitor. We are not to engage unless absolutely necessary."

Barton groaned. "So I _am_ a babysitter," he replied. He shot Coulson a dark look. "Please tell me you aren't going to tell Tasha about this."

Coulson suppressed a grin. He was tempted to let the man swing in the wind a little longer, but they didn't have the time. Fury had spoken with Stark less than an hour ago – which meant Coulson and Barton should have been in LA two days ago.

"Would it help if I said that Iron Man will be there, and that there's a very likely possibility he'll piss off these dozen or so super-powered teenagers?"

In the blink of an eye, Barton let his arrow fly, the shaft easily hitting its mark with pinpoint accuracy. In another blink, he had his bow collapsed and on his back.

"I'm in," he announced. As he began to walk toward the rooftop door, he looked over his shoulder with a faint scowl. "Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Coulson shrugged. "This way was more fun."

* * *

A/N: Sorry these first two chapters are so short! They get longer after this, I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

Warning: Strong language in this chapter (and really any chapter with Faith).

* * *

When Faith had gone to jail, it was almost like a weight had been lifted. She couldn't run anymore, she couldn't hide, and as crazy as it sounded, she had found a certain peace there, maybe for the first time in her life.

When she had heard that Angel's soul had taken a vacation, though, she had busted out without a second thought; same with heading to Hellmouth afterward for the big showdown with the First.

And damn, it felt good, to finally be fighting _for_ something instead of _against_ everything.

Sucked that it was probably all going to end before it could really get started.

She knew that Red was trying her best, had been ever since they had crashed at Angel's old digs after the big battle. But magic – or mad hacking skills – couldn't erase her mug shot from people's minds, not when her escape drew as much attention as it had. Hell, she was on L.A.'s Most Wanted list.

Faith flopped into the chair in the Hyperion's back office with a grunt, her eyes closing as soon as her ass hit the seat.

Whatever.

If she had to go back, she would. She sure as hell wasn't going to risk taking everyone down with her for 'aiding and abetting', or some shit like that. She'd turn herself in before she'd let that happen.

Hell, now that she thought about it, if they couldn't figure out how to erase her record and this temporary lockdown in the Hyperion became permanent, she almost preferred going back to prison, because _fuck_, the minis were tough to live with.

Seriously, with no bad guy to focus on and no fucking clue what to do next, every day had become one never-ending group therapy session. She had actually come into this room to _hide_.

So yeah, daily attempted shankings aside, prison wouldn't be all bad. Fuck anyone who said she was just trying to make lemonade out of the situation. If they didn't watch themselves, they'd end up with some lemon juice in their eye.

"Oh, good! You're here!"

Faith cracked an eye open at the sound of Willow's voice.

Willow smiled back at her brightly – a little too brightly. Faith watched her enter the room suspiciously.

"We need to talk about some, uh, _stuff_, so I called an emergency meeting," Willow explained. "Robin and Kennedy are taking the girls out so we have some privacy."

Faith slunk into her seat. And here was another reason why jail wouldn't be so bad.

Sure, part of her was actually pretty damn happy that she had finally made it into that inner-Scooby circle, that whenever they called an emergency meeting nowadays, everyone just expected that she would be there.

But honestly, some days, like today? It sucked ass.

She didn't say anything as the other Scoobies began filing into the room, though. She didn't leave, either, even though she really wanted to. She just watched. And waited.

The story of her life these days, she grumbled to herself.

B was the last one in. She immediately grabbed a seat next to Faith – which also happened to be as far away from Willow, Xander, Giles, and Dawn as possible.

There was an uncomfortable pause at this. Then Willow cleared her throat and called the meeting to order.

Faith immediately tuned out. She really didn't care how the sneaky bastards on the Council had hidden all their money away like fucking leprechauns, making it almost impossible to find, let alone access. And she sure as hell didn't have any solutions.

She snapped back to attention, though, when she heard her name.

"… and that brings us to the last issue – Faith. Even if I could erase her record, it doesn't solve the whole problem."

"So what? I gotta go back to the joint?" Faith yawned, like she didn't care either way.

"No," came the immediate reply from pretty much everyone.

Faith shrugged, but damn, if she didn't feel all warm and mushy on the inside. "Then what's the plan?" she asked. "Because I gotta be honest, I'm about two group hugs away from losing it."

She heard a snort of laughter beside her. Faith grinned, knowing that B was obviously feeling the same.

No one else seemed to find this funny, though. And after a second or two of silence, Willow let out a pointed cough, bringing the focus back to her.

"Well, like I was saying, it's not just a simple matter of erasing your record. Maybe you could just go out of the country indefinitely…" she suggested. Then she bit her lip hesitantly. "Or… I could try to cast a memory spell…"

"No."

Willow frowned at Buffy and Giles' objection.

"It might be our only way," she argued.

There was a pause, and then suddenly everyone was talking at once, weighing in with their own two cents. Faith closed her eyes as the conversation devolved into an argument.

"I don't know—"

"The activation spell worked. Maybe we should try—"

"—just how many people would you have to mind zap?"

"Seems pretty risky—"

"Now, see, this is why I work alone."

That last comment shut everybody up, and fast – because it sure as hell hadn't come from any of them. They all spun toward the doorway, Faith and Buffy with stakes in hand, to see who the party crasher was.

Only to see a guy in an expensive looking suit. A very familiar looking guy.

Faith squinted. Was that—

"Iron Man?" Xander exclaimed incredulously.

They all stared, almost dumbstruck, as Tony Stark himself waltzed into the room like he owned the fucking place, though Faith and Buffy made sure to hide the stakes as quickly as possible.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked. Then, without waiting for them to respond, he plopped himself down into one of the chairs. "No? Good. Because I have to admit, I'm dying to know how you blew up a whole town like that."

Faith could've sworn she heard a pin drop.

Giles was the first to recover.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," he said, pouring on that British politeness for all it was worth. "But we don't know what you're talking about."

Stark cocked his head to the side.

"Huh. Really. That's interesting, because a little birdie told me that anyone seen leaving Sunnydale that last day may have stopped the world from ending," he mused.

"I think you may have taken one too many hits to the head there, Iron Man," Xander said with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, we left Sunnydale a few days before the _earthquake_," Buffy added.

Stark quirked his eyebrow.

"You are terrible liars. Also, I've seen the satellite photos. And the surveillance footage from the convenience store you stopped at just outside of town," he noted. Then he looked at Buffy. "Someone's got a massive sweet teeth. That's going to haunt you in a few years, you know."

As B's face turned bright red, Giles cleared his throat, some of that British shine coming off.

"Why are you here, Mr. Stark?" he asked bluntly.

Stark waved his hand in air. "Oh, you know, just to say 'hello', show you the superhero handshake—"

"There's a superhero handshake?" Dawn whispered excitedly. At the looks she received at this, she winced. "Oh."

"—and just welcome you to the block," Stark finished. "So, really, tell me. How'd you do it?"

"You mean your little birdie didn't tell you?" Buffy said sarcastically.

Stark gave an exaggerated sigh. "No, sadly, he's a little don't ask, don't tell, if you know what I mean."

Faith saw some of the Scoobies flinch at this. She couldn't blame them. The Initiative had burned them pretty badly. Still, it was a tell.

Stark immediately picked up on it.

"Ah, you don't like the military. I like you more already," he declared. Then he made a gesture over at Xander, specifically his eye. "So I take it the patch is the real deal then, and not some misguided attempt to imitate a certain annoying, control freak of a Director?"

Faith narrowed her eyes. She didn't care if he was Iron Man. Dude had a death wish – and more than one person willing to help him fulfill it, because no matter what other shit was going on, the Scoobies knew how to circle the wagons.

Sure enough, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Buffy start toward Stark. At the same time, she heard Willow start to mutter something under her breath, something that wasn't in English.

As much as she was tempted to join in, the last thing Faith needed was the press hovering around, wondering why their poster boy Stark was suddenly sporting hooves or how the hell his head got bashed in, so she stepped in.

"Yo, I don't know if you think you can say this shit to us just because you have money, or maybe you're just bored—"

"Both, actually," Stark commented.

Faith ignored him. "But you better get your ass out of here, or it's going to get really ugly."

"With those little sticks of yours?" he asked curiously. "Now _that_ would be interesting to see, because aside from giving the bad guys some really big splinters, I don't really see the advantage to say, a uni-beam projector or pulse bolts."

"_Out_," she ordered, taking a few menacing steps toward him.

Stark got out of his chair, a small smile on his face.

"Pleasure meeting you all." he called out over his shoulder as he sauntered the door.

Before he walked through the doorway, though, he smacked his forehead and turned around.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot," he said, taking a few steps back toward her. "It's Faith, right?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?" she challenged, wondering what parting shot this asshole was going to try and take.

His eyebrows shot up in amusement. "Funny you should say that," he said lightly. "Apparently, I'm your dad."

Faith hadn't thought much could surprise her anymore. But fuck, she literally felt her jaw drop at this.

"Shocking, right? But that DNA sample you have on file doesn't lie," Stark commented. Then he clapped his hands together. "Anyway, think about it, and give me a call if you want to talk."

Before Faith could register what was going on, Stark had put his business card in her hand and walked out the door.

Still speechless, she turned to the rest of the group, who looked just as shell shocked as she did. That helped her snap out of it, and she turned back toward the empty door frame angrily.

"Sonofa_bitch_!"

* * *

Tony quickly walked out of the Hyperion, a slight spring to his step as he reached his waiting car. That little exploratory mission of his had been quite useful.

It told him everything he had needed to know and more. Now it was on to the next step.

* * *

A/N: Okay, lay it on me. Did the Faith/Tony confrontation live up to expectations? *crosses fingers*


	4. Chapter 4

"Agents, report."

Clint resisted the urge to smirk at Fury's order. As far as he was concerned, this mission was a waste of time. He wasn't there for his opinion, though, so he kept his mouth shut and sat back in his chair as Coulson stepped toward the video screen.

"There's been little movement, sir," Coulson said. "The subjects are still in the Hyperion, operating in a lockdown mode of sorts, leaving mostly for supplies. Faith Lehane has not left the premises at all, and as far as we can tell, there has been no further communication with Stark."

A glint appeared in Fury's eye at this last part, one that didn't escape Clint's notice.

The Director already knew about Stark, he realized, probably knew more than they did. And he wasn't going to tell them.

"The situation has changed," Fury said crisply. "As you know, the slayers have ties to the Los Angeles branch of Wolfram &amp; Hart. As if this in itself isn't enough cause for alarm, we have recently received intel from our agent within their organization…"

_Tasha_, Clint thought.

He knew without a doubt that she was the plant in the law firm – while he watched teenage girls buy more sanitary products and diet soda than he ever cared to witness.

Christ, she was never going to let him live this down.

Clint slouched down into his chair as Fury continued talking.

"…that Wolfram &amp; Hart is currently seeking ways to eliminate Faith Lehane's record, either through legal or mystical means. We can_not_ let that happen, Agents, for many reasons," the Director stated, giving both Clint and Coulson a level look. "As we speak, SHIELD is in the process of wiping Lehane's record clean. Those intimately involved with her case will be informed that Lehane has been working with us for some time now. They will be thanked for their service and told in no uncertain terms that Miss Lehane is no longer their concern."

And the conversation suddenly got a lot more interesting.

For what it was worth, Clint heartily agreed with Fury. He didn't give a damn if the vampire in charge was soft and cuddly. Wolfram &amp; Hart was larger than any one person. It was a juggernaut, one that was on the top of SHIELD's watch list for a reason.

In institutions like that, it wasn't the man that changed the place; it was the place that changed the man, eating away at him, bit by bit, like a cancer.

So yeah, the less involved the slayers were with Wolfram &amp; Hart, the better. If that meant SHIELD had to step in, then so be it – even if the cover story was a little weak, particularly when Lehane's age was taken into consideration. They had no choice. Besides, when an agency like SHIELD stepped in, local law enforcement seldom had any questions, at least ones they would dare to voice out loud. And with Sunnydale and all its records gone in a puff of smoke, there was no one around to contest the validity of the story.

Still, he had to wonder what the consequences would be.

Apparently, Coulson was thinking along the same lines.

"And the Council?" the other agent asked.

"The Council has remained silent," Fury informed them. "This is dangerous territory, gentlemen. Undoubtedly, other agencies will see this as an opportunity to approach the slayers themselves. Without any word from the Council, I still do not want to overstep our bounds. That being said, I think it would be wise if made our presence known."

"Yes, sir," Coulson began. "I will—"

"Not you, Agent," Fury interrupted. "I need you for something else. Barton is on this one."

Clint frowned at this. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Coulson do the same; for good reason, too.

Initial contact was Coulson's gig. The man was a master at it. He could approach anyone – from playboy billionaires to a homeless guy off the street – and come off as both authoritative and non-threatening, and it got him a hell of a lot of mileage.

That wasn't Clint at all. _He_ didn't talk birds down from trees. His job was to shoot them down.

Clint was about to point this out when Fury held his hand up.

"Trust me on this one. It's only temporary, and I need you in the Arctic, Agent Coulson," he said. He looked directly at Coulson, a shadow of a smile on his face. "They found him."

Even as Coulson's face lit up a kid on Christmas morning, Fury turned toward Clint.

"From what we have learned, this group does not respond well to government interference, particularly the military, so I would suggest that you don't come on too strong. Just... give them a nudge," he instructed.

Clint quirked his eyebrow. "A 'nudge'?"

Fury's face remained impassive. "A nudge. No more, no less. Fury, out."

Then the screen went blank.

Clint frowned. A nudge. It was easy for Fury to say. He wasn't the one who had to figure out how to give a 'nudge' without getting punched in face. Or worse.

Still, it sure as hell beat babysitting.

* * *

Clint and Coulson had been watching the Hyperion since they had arrived, and they knew the habits of its occupants pretty well. For instance, every night at 2am, the head slayer herself would leave the hotel and walk a mile and three quarters until she reached a small pocket park sandwiched in between an industrial complex and an abandoned housing development.

What she did there or why she went, they weren't sure. They had never gotten too close, wanting to ensure they weren't detected. All they knew what that she would stay there for a good hour before returning to the hotel.

It seemed like the perfect opening. Clint wasn't about to leave it up to chance, though.

By 1:30am, he was stationed across the street on the roof of a two story apartment building, hidden behind the shadows of an old brick chimney. It put him about 250 feet away with nothing obstructing his view except for a high chain link fence that enclosed the playground. It also gave him many outlets for escape.

Then he sat back and waited.

45 minutes later, Buffy Summers came into view. She moved silently, passing through the gate, heading straight the swings. There she sat on the only working one. She didn't swing back and forth, though. She just sat there with this faraway look in her eyes, one that deepened with every minute that ticked by.

He had to give her credit. She didn't look like much; more like a kid than anything else. He had read her file, though. He knew what she was capable of.

Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, she looked up just then, seemingly staring right at him even though it was next to impossible to actually see him in the shadows there.

The best part was the expression on her face – it was pure and utter annoyance.

Clint had to grin. Why not? He didn't take it as a failure on his part. He knew he was stealthy; prided himself on it. Instead he took it as a measure of her own skill, and his respect for her immediately went up a notch.

It went up even higher when her gaze suddenly cut to her left toward an intersection approximately two buildings down.

Clint looked over as well, but he didn't see anything. He couldn't hear anything, either, but his instincts told him the slayer was right.

Something was coming.

They came into view a minute later; four guys, white, in their early 20s. Aside from the surprised chuckle one of them gave when they spotted the slayer, they made no sound, unnaturally quiet in the movements as they stalked toward her.

Clint turned his gaze back to the slayer. She looked nervous, but he knew it was just an act. Sure, she put on a good show of fidgeting in the swing, like she couldn't decide if she should run or make herself as invisible as possible, but she was really just shifting so that she could keep both him and the others in her line of sight.

Staying in the swing was a smart move, too. The guys automatically went to stand in front of her. This put them in between her and Clint. If he was with these guys, then he would have to go through them to get to her.

Silently, Clint pulled out his bow, waiting to see how it all played out.

Before the group reached the slayer, the leader of pack called out to her, the night air carrying pieces of it up to Clint.

"Hey baby... lucky night..."

The slayer cocked her head to the side, an amused look on her face as they finally reached her. Clint half-heard, half-lip read her response.

"You know, for vampires, your instincts _suck_."

Then, before her words could probably fully register, the slayer sprang into action, hoisting herself up on the chains of the swing so she could kick out both of her legs. The vampire who had the misfortune of standing within striking distance went flying across the playground toward Clint, hitting the chain link fence with a crash.

In the same fluid motion, the slayer let go of the swing, landing on her feet like a cat, a stake suddenly in her hand.

The others were on her in an instant, their faces transforming into something very ugly and very inhuman as they surrounded her. Or at least, that's what they _tried_ to do.

Clint was never one to stand on ceremony. He already had an arrow in the air, aimed directly at the vampire to the slayer's left. Before it could find its mark, he loosed another bolt, this one targeting the vampire by the fence.

Hell, he would've let loose a third arrow, even had it nocked on his bow, but the remaining two vampires were already getting into it with the slayer, dodging and darting all around her, making it impossible for him to get a clean shot.

Call him crazy, but he thought that accidentally shooting the slayer would set the wrong tone. He would just have to wait for another shot.

It never came – his two arrows passed cleanly through the chain links and found their marks, his targets exploding into clouds of dust in a rapid one-two succession. Probably caught off guard by the sudden of demise of their buddies, the remaining vampires whipped around, snarling in anger when they caught sight of Clint.

The slayer didn't miss a beat; she immediately took advantage of this and staked the one on her right.

When she turned toward the remaining vampire, there was a distinct gleam in her eye. Then she attacked.

The vampire was a decent fighter, but he didn't stand a chance. Clint knew it, the slayer definitely knew it, and hell, the vampire probably did, too.

There simply was no denying it; in hand to hand combat, the slayer was a force. Someone would have to be blind not to see the power behind her blows, the graceful efficiency with which she moved, all packaged in a whirl of blonde hair and legs.

Clint could admit it. From a professional standpoint, he was impressed. His personal opinion of her wasn't too shabby, either.

It took her less than a minute to stake the vampire. Before the dust could settle – literally – she was glaring up at him.

"You're not going to make me come up there and get you, are you?"

Clint stepped out of the shadows, purposefully stowing his bow away to show he meant no harm. "Wouldn't dream of it."

He quickly climbed down the building's fire escape, acutely aware that she was studying him as he did so, particularly when he jumped the last ten feet.

Her gaze sharpened even more as he began to walk toward her, her eyes flickering between him and the piles of dust he had made. When he stopped just shy of the playground, her expression became downright surly.

Hey, he was no fool. He might have helped her, but that didn't mean a punch in the face was entirely ruled out yet – and now he knew it would _hurt_.

So he simply leaned against the gate post and waited.

When she finally spoke, he could hear the accusation in her voice.

"You're only human."

Clint couldn't resist. "That's what they keep telling me," he replied. Then he winked. "I just ignore them, though."

She didn't dignify that with a response. Instead, she asked the most obvious question. "Who are you?"

"Hawkeye," he replied.

"Hawkeye?" she repeated dryly. When Clint just smirked in response, she scowled. "Okay, _Hawkeye_, why are you watching me?"

"You obliterate an entire town, people tend to notice," he said with a shrug.

She immediately stiffened at this. "Who are you and what do you want?" she asked again. This time there was an edge to her voice.

Clint straightened up. "I work for an organization that has similar interests as you. As for what we want... well, let's just say that we don't want anything you don't want to give," he said, unwilling to say more than that at that moment.

"And what if that's nothing?" she shot back.

He just shrugged again.

That took her by surprise. "Seriously?" she exclaimed. "That's your sales pitch? Aren't you going to make some grand promises? Or even better, some very graphic but probably very unimaginative threats?"

Clint gave her a rueful smile. "Not my style," he replied. "But if it's a sales pitch you want, I'm sure you'll get it. I can pretty much guarantee that we won't be the only ones knocking on your door."

With that, he began to walk away. He had already said enough for the first meet and greet, and he didn't want to push much harder than that, especially out in the open like that.

"Wait, that's it? You're just leaving?" she blurted out.

Clint turned back to face her, his eyebrow raised in feigned ignorance. "You want me to stay?"

The slayer's eyes narrowed at this. "That's not what I meant, and you know it," she said.

"Don't worry, Summers, you'll see me again," he promised. Then he turned and began walking away again.

Thankfully, she didn't follow – though when he reached the other side of the street, she called out to him.

"You know, making with the cryptic doesn't exactly endear you to me," she said, a distinctly grumpy tone to her voice.

Clint turned around again, though he continued to walk backwards as he spoke. "Maybe, but I'm still light years ahead of Stark, right?"

The look on her face was priceless, and he couldn't help but grin as he melted into the shadows. When he heard a loud curse a second later, immediately followed by what sounded like something about kicking both his and Iron Man's tin can ass into a brand new shape, his grin grew wider.

Maybe this assignment wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! They bring a little bit of sunshine to my day as yet another blizzard bombards the area I live in.


	5. Chapter 5

She should've seen it coming.

Seriously, Sunnydale Syndrome was one thing, but they had _destroyed_ a top secret facility three year ago. Then they blew up the entire town. Of course people outside the bubble of obliviousness would notice. The real wonder was that something like this hadn't happened a long time ago.

It was just… after so many years on the Hellmouth, she had kind of gotten used to doing the whole slaying thing without any interference.

Maybe in more ways than one.

Buffy sank back down on one of the swings with a sigh.

She knew things weren't right between her and the others, no matter how much they all pretended it was. Even her relationship with Angel had become strained – right around the time she started asking him for details about the whole Jasmine thing and his new position at Wolfram &amp; Hart.

The problem was that she had no idea how to fix it. She didn't even know if she _wanted_ to fix it. She was just so tired.

And now they had this to deal with.

Closing her eyes, Buffy went over her little meet and greet with 'Hawkeye' while it was still fresh in her mind.

Though she would never, ever admit it– because the man clearly had enough ego to feed the world – he was good. Really good. The shots he made with that bow of his, not to mention his stealthiness.

Yep, he may have been human, but he definitely wasn't some amateur off the street.

The most obvious guess was military, some kind of special ops. Aside from his skills, he knew way too much about her, and she bet that the government had a hefty binder on her after the whole Initiative thing. Also, 'Hawkeye'? If that didn't scream military handle, she didn't know what did.

But then, she also couldn't forget his casual mention of Tony Stark, which, considering the timing, may have not been so casual at all – not that it mattered as far as his offer went. The slayers weren't for sale, and they definitely weren't a shiny new toy for some bored billionaire to play with, particularly when said billionaire was an asshat with a capital A.

Of course, they might not have a choice. She could still hear Hawkeye's promise that he was only the first of many to darken the slayer door.

With another sigh, Buffy opened her eyes and hopped off the swing.

She needed to tell the rest of the group about this.

Half-walking, half-jogging, she quickly made her way back to the Hyperion. When she finally reached the front door, she rushed in without a second thought, ready to rally the troops, wake them up, whatever, only to be hit square in the chest by a huge green, glowing ball of light.

"What the—" she exclaimed, closing her eyes and throwing her arms up instinctively as the light seemed to engulf her.

"Why do you even have a cell phone if you never bother to take it with you?"

Buffy's eyes flew open, immediately reacting to the anger in her sister's voice, the blinding light suddenly becoming a non-issue.

"Look, can we talk about this later?" she snapped back, as Dawn, Willow, Kennedy, Xander, Giles and Angel all came into focus. "I have—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she heard the door behind her open.

Buffy whirled around, more than ready to lay into whoever dared to enter at that very inopportune moment.

Then she saw who it was, and all she could do was stare in shock.

Apparently when it rained military men, it poured.

"Riley!" she heard Dawn exclaim.

"Hey," Riley said, nodding to everyone in the room. Then he looked directly at Buffy, a small, nervous smile on his face. "Hi, Buffy. It's good to see you."

Buffy opened her mouth, but no words came out. Even though she had been warned that something like this was going to happen, she didn't think it would be quite so quickly – or that they would use her ex to do it. And she definitely didn't think he would actually agree to it.

Thankfully, Xander stepped in just then before the silence could get too awkward.

"Hey, Riley," he said with a little wave. "Good to see you, man. Of course, it begs the question — _why_ are we seeing you? And how?"

Riley looked at Buffy for a beat longer before he turned toward Xander, the small smile turning into a genuine grin.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out the places you might go," he said with a shrug. "As for why, well, I heard about what happened in Sunnydale and I wanted to make sure you were all right."

"Is Sam here, too?" Willow asked, craning her neck to get a look behind him.

Riley's smile noticeably dimmed. "No."

Willow's eyes went wide. "Is... is she okay?" she asked in a hushed tone, obviously assuming the worst.

But Riley just shrugged. "Last I heard."

No one knew how to reply to that. Well, almost no one.

Dawn, already on the warpath, stepped forward, her hands on her hips.

"So you rushed here in the middle of the night? Because you were worried about 'us'?" she asked, giving Buffy a pointed look at the last part.

And cue the mortification.

Buffy felt herself flush at Dawn's not so subtle insinuation; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riley do the same. It was time to get this conversation back on track.

Before Riley could say anything that could be embarrassing or ego-bruising, she cleared her throat. Loudly.

"This isn't a social visit," she said frostily. "Is it, Riley?"

The deer-in-the-headlights look Riley gave her was priceless.

"How did you…" He cut himself off before he could say anything else, obviously trying to measure his words carefully.

At the same time, Angel, who hadn't so much as moved a muscle since she had returned, stepped forward toward Riley, though his eyes were on Buffy.

"What do you mean, Buffy?" he demanded. "What's going on?"

Buffy gave a humorless smile.

"Guys, we're in the army now," she said. "Or at least, we will be, if our personal recruiter here has a say in it."

If she didn't have everyone's attention before, she had it now. She felt everyone's eyes on her, obviously wanting her to make with the explaining. She ignored them for the moment, though, keeping her eyes on her ex, who had gone a little pale.

"It's not—"

"Why don't we take this conversation to the back office?" Giles interrupted.

No one argued with him. The last thing they needed was for the minis getting wind of it before they knew the full story.

Without another word, they all filed into the back room. As soon as the door closed, everyone's eyes were on Riley, who shifted uncomfortably on his feet for a moment before he straightened up, almost like he was coming to attention.

"It was suggested that I take a trip to see you," he admitted. Then he hastily added, "This won't be like the Initiative. They just want to talk, I swear, nothing more, nothing less."

Buffy didn't know if Riley had purposefully put extra emphasis on the 'nothing less' part, but she heard it, loud and clear. Everyone else did, too.

"What do they think, we're going to try to take over the world?" Xander joked.

Riley's silence was more than a little telling.

"Seriously?" Xander exclaimed indignantly.

"You have a small army of super-powered individuals here who have an uncanny knack with weapons yet look like teenage girls," Riley pointed out. "On top of that, you're staying on the property of a vampire who is currently in charge of Wolfram &amp; Hart, which is pretty much the epitome of 'evil law firm'."

_That_ struck a nerve with the entire group, and it showed. More than one uncertain look was sent Angel's way. In response, Angel growled – right at Riley.

Riley didn't back down, though. In fact, he saw his advantage and went for it. "However you want to spin it, it's the truth," he said to Angel. Then he looked at the rest of the group. "They just want to know that you're not a threat."

Buffy wasn't sold. "And what if they think we are? A threat, that is?" she countered.

Riley's jaw clenched reflexively. "That's why I'm here, so it doesn't come to that."

Buffy was all set to make with a snappy retort; it was on the tip of her tongue even. Then she saw the look in his eyes.

In that moment, she finally understood. The army was going to come for them, with or without Riley. And yes, maybe he was here because the military thought the personal connection would help persuade her and the others, but he was also here because he knew just how wrong this could go, and he was worried for them.

It made the bitter pill currently lodged in her throat a little easier to swallow.

Maybe sensing the change in her attitude, Riley took half a step toward her.

"Please just tell me you'll think about it," he said quietly, directing his words only to her this time.

Buffy gave him a sad smile. As much as she understood what he was trying to do, it didn't change the facts.

"We'll think about. Nothing more, nothing less," she said, purposefully echoing his words.

Riley ran a hand over his face. He looked like he was going to say something, but then he changed his mind. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

"Here's my number," he explained. "I'll be in town for a few days. Call me any time, okay?"

Again, Buffy heard what he wasn't saying; they only had a few days. What came after, she had no idea, and she had a feeling she didn't want to find out.

Very reluctantly, she plucked the piece of paper out of his hand.

Riley looked at her for a beat longer. "It really is good to see you," he said. Then he turned and left.

As soon as he was gone, the room broke out into chaos.

"Save the world, get put on the no-fly list. How's that for a thank you?"

"So what? We have to do whatever the government tells us to or they'll Gitmo our asses?"

"Can they do that? Some of us here are US citizens."

"Yeah, and some of the girls aren't, but I bet all they have to do is say the word and they'll be GI Janed."

"We have to get out of here," Buffy said amid all the noise. When no one seemed to have heard what she said, she repeated herself, this time a lot louder.

Slowly, all the conversation in the room died.

"You mean run?" Kennedy spoke up. "I'll be the first one to tell the military what it can do with its Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but don't you think running away just screams 'we're a threat, come hunt us down'?"

"Maybe," Buffy admitted. "But I think it will be worse if we stay."

"Buffy, I don't think leaving the Hyperion is really the answer," Angel said with a frown, looking a little offended by the suggestion. "You're safe here."

Buffy shook her head. "No, we're not. And neither are you and your group, Angel, not as long as we're here," she said. Then she took a deep breath. "Riley's group isn't the only one looking for us."

She proceeded to tell them about her own little run in.

"I wondered why Riley made no mention of Faith," Giles murmured.

"Huh? What's that?" Buffy asked, thoroughly confused.

Giles cleared his throat. "It was the reason why we used the location spell to find you in the first place. Willow was looking into Faith's record to see if she could somehow hack into it—"

"And it's gone!" Willow blurted out. "Not expunged, or sealed, or anything else. It's as if it never existed."

What Buffy knew about the criminal justice system could fit inside a paper bag. Thanks to Faith's current problem, however, she had gotten a crash course on how to erase someone's record through non-magical means – and it was next to impossible. Even when the government stepped in and expunged a record, it was still there, just hidden.

Someone really powerful was at work here, and Buffy didn't like it.

"I really think we should consider leaving the Hyperion, maybe even the country, and go underground for awhile. We need time to think this through, _without_ being at the mercy of the military," she said.

She could still see the objections on their faces. Before they could actually voice them, however, Giles spoke up.

"I think that we should seriously consider that option, Buffy, and indeed, it just may come to that, particularly in light of our experience with the Initiative. However, I want to be absolutely sure before we do anything. This entire situation is unprecedented, and our actions will have consequences that will affect slayers now and perhaps for many years to come," he said. "We also need to learn more about this other group, if they are indeed affiliated with Tony Stark, and whether they were the ones to eliminate Faith's record. If they were, we should consider why they did not use it to blackmail us into compliance. I do find it strange that this Hawkeye made no mention of it. On the other hand, if they were not the ones responsible, then there is another group out there that we need to be aware of."

Buffy slowly nodded. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the others do the same. His plan made sense, for now. Still, she wasn't going to sit and do nothing.

She turned on her heel and began walking out the door.

"Where are you going, Buffy?" Dawn asked, the anger creeping back into her voice again, along with something else Buffy couldn't quite identify.

Buffy chose not to react to it. Instead she continued to walk away, calling out over her shoulder as she left. "To follow our best lead."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander take a few steps toward her.

"She went up to the roof as soon as she found out about her record disappearing," he said pointedly.

Buffy winced.

There were two things no one mentioned in front of Faith anymore. The first was Tony Stark, not even to check and see if his story was legit. The second was her record, ever since Angel had pulled Faith aside to talk about some memory spell Wolfram &amp; Hart could do.

To bring up both the Asshat Who Must Not Be Named and the disappearance of her criminal record in the span of an hour…

This could get ugly. She didn't think they had much of a choice, though. Besides, Faith deserved to know if Stark was playing her.

"Thanks for the heads up," she said.

Then, before anyone else could stop her, she began to make her way up toward the roof, taking the stairs two at a time.

When she reached the roof access door, she paused, trying to think of the best way to start the conversation. Unfortunately, aside from breaking out into "It's a Small World", she had nothing.

Steeling herself, Buffy turned the door handle and pushed.

_"__...you're just throwing in the towel on us? Just like that?"_

"It's not gonna work, and we both know it."

Buffy had expected Faith to be alone, so it took her a minute to realize that she had walked in on a conversation. A very, very private one.

Frozen with embarrassment, Buffy could only stare as Robin and Faith whipped around to see had interrupted them.

Buffy cringed, but before she could do anything – like stammer out an apology and try to forget everything she had heard – Faith used the distraction to turn away from Robin, leaning on the edge of the wall and clearly signaling that she was done with the conversation.

There was an extremely awkward moment as Robin glanced back and forth between the two girls. Then he threw his arms up in disgust and stormed toward the door, purposefully avoiding looking at Buffy as he passed by.

Then he was gone, and it was just Faith and Buffy and a canyon of silence between them.

Buffy didn't know what to do. Clearly, her timing couldn't have been worse, and Faith wasn't exactly hanging out the welcome mat. But leaving seemed wrong, too. She and Faith had really turned a corner the past few weeks, and she wanted it to stay that way.

Hoping she was making the right decision, Buffy walked toward Faith until they were standing side by side.

"Everything okay?"

Faith glanced over at her and shrugged. "Five by five. What's up?"

Buffy gave a crooked smile. "Not much. Just putting the 'fun' in the dysfunctional as usual."

She had meant it as a joke – mostly – but Faith didn't laugh. In fact, Buffy could have sworn she looked a little exasperated.

"Little D still bent out of shape?"

Buffy couldn't help the snort that escaped. "Is that what it's called?"

Faith glanced at her again. Yep, there was definitely irritation there.

"Man, B, sometimes you're really oblivious," Faith said, shaking her head.

Buffy crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "What do you mean?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Do you know that your sister gets like this every night when you go off on your nightly stroll? That she's just waiting for that day you walk out that door and don't come back before you guys have a chance to make things right?"

A rush of guilt and anger washed over Buffy at this little disclosure. She decided to focus on the anger.

"Yeah, well, you reap what you sow," she snapped. "Maybe next time she'll think before she kicks me out of my own house."

To her surprise, Faith whirled around, hands on her hips and a supremely pissed expression on her face.

"Hey, I'll be the first to say that none of us came out of that night smelling like roses. But do you honestly think that's where all of this is coming from?" she asked. "Face it, B, your sister's always getting left, and it freaks her the fuck out."

"Do you mean when my dad left us? Or when mom died? Or when _I_ died?" Buffy asked incredulously. "Because I didn't exactly have control over some of that."

She thought she had a valid point, but Faith just waved her off.

"Gone is gone, B. Doesn't really matter how or why, not when you're the one who always gets left," she said, her words coming out in an angry rush. "That shit does something to you, messes with your head. Makes you wonder if there's something wrong with you."

Then, almost as if she had said too much, Faith spun back toward the wall, her breathing harsh and erratic as she stared at the horizon.

At first, Buffy didn't know what to say. What could she? The fact that Faith was talking like this at all was surprising, but to say something like this, something so obviously personal and painful—

And suddenly it clicked; at least, she _thought_ it did.

"Is that why you ended things with Robin?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. "Leaving before he can leave you?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Buffy cringed, fully expecting to be told to mind her own business; in much more colorful terms, of course.

Thankfully, amazingly, Faith just seemed to find this funny more than anything else.

"What? Fuck, no!" she laughed, though it turned into a frown a second later. "Well, not totally, anyway."

Encouraged by this response, Buffy pressed a little further. "Then why?"

Eyebrow quirking, Faith glanced over at Buffy before turning her gaze outward again.

"When Willow first talked about doing her mojo to get rid of my record, I didn't think anything of it. Fuck if I cared how it got done. But then when people started talking about what it would mean... and then Angel came with his solution..."

Faith trailed off then, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the cement wall.

Buffy didn't move a muscle, afraid that even breathing too heavily would make Faith shut down. She had no idea what Angel had said to Faith, as Angel had been very closemouthed about it – another straw on the ever-weakening camel's back. More importantly, she didn't know why Faith was so averse to it, whatever it was, to the point where it seemed to have damaged her relationship with Angel.

As the silence stretched on, however, it seemed like the moment was gone. Buffy even began contemplating whether she should leave to give Faith some space, when suddenly Faith turned toward her with so much pain and anger in her eyes, Buffy felt as if she had been dealt a physical blow.

"I don't want to forget what I did, B," Faith said hoarsely. "I don't want _you_ to forget, either, any of you. This is supposed to be my chance for redemption, not to play house and pretend it never happened."

Then she turned away again, angling herself so her face was hidden in shadow.

Buffy frowned, not liking where the conversation was headed one bit.

"That doesn't mean you have to go it alone," she pointed out. "Seriously, redemption is one thing. Self-inflicted punishment is another thing entirely. Besides, the role of tragic hero has already been filled. All those who deserve more than that need not apply."

Faith laughed, and some of the tension visibly eased away. "Maybe," she admitted. "Still doesn't mean there's a white picket fence for me. Not right now anyway. I mean, I have no idea who the fuck I am, let alone how to be a girlfriend."

"But..." Buffy began. Then it hit her. "Oh. OH. You're cookie dough, like me!"

This caught Faith completely off guard. "Say what?"

Buffy grinned. "We're cookie dough, still in the making. Until we're done, we have no idea if we'd go better with a glass of milk or tea or—"

She stopped short when Faith let out a huge guffaw.

"Well, it sounded better when I said it before," Buffy said testily.

Now Faith began to practically hyperventilate with laughter. "You actually said this out _loud_ before?" she gasped.

"I— Nevermind," Buffy huffed, knowing it would only make it worse to admit she'd said it to Angel, of all people.

Instead, she just waited until Faith got control of herself again – the whole five minutes it took.

"Thanks, B, I needed that." Faith grinned as she wiped a tear away from her eye.

Buffy made a face, though she couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"No problem. That's what I'm here for," she breezily replied.

Faith's grin grew wider, and Buffy just knew another insult was coming, when something made Faith pause.

"Hey, why did you come up here?" she asked curiously. "You know, before the spontaneous sharing circle?"

Buffy bit her lip, unsure of how to answer that, because honestly, after this conversation, there was no way she was going to ask anything of Faith where Tony Stark was concerned. At the same time, though, Faith needed to know.

"We've got a problem," she finally said. "The military sent Riley here to Uncle Sam us. Otherwise, we'll be considered a threat to national security. They're not the only ones, either. There's also another group out there. One of their people approached me in the park, basically asking us to join _them_. We have no idea who they are, though."

Faith nodded thoughtfully as she took all this in. "And?"

Buffy hesitated, which made Faith throw her hands up in disgust.

"C'mon, I just poured my heart out to you like some pathetic made for TV movie. Throw me a bone here. Tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Against her better judgment, Buffy gave in. "The second group knows Stark. He may even be working with them," she admitted.

She didn't add anything about Stark possibly exploiting his connection to Faith. She didn't have to.

Faith began pacing back and forth on the rooftop, almost like she was trying to burn off a sudden burst of energy. "You want to talk to him, see what he knows."

Buffy nodded. "But don't worry about it. I'll take care of it—"

Stopping dead in her tracks, Faith let out a short, harsh bark of laughter. "Oh yeah? Cuz the way I remember it, the last time you saw him, you looked like you were going to hurl him through a wall," she pointed out. After a beat, she said, "I'll do it."

Then the pacing resumed.

"Faith…" Buffy said hesitantly.

"It's no big," Faith said, immediately shrugging Buffy's concern away. "Paper says he's still in his fancy building downtown, right?"

The fact that Faith knew that Tony was still at Stark Enterprises showed that she cared more than she wanted to admit. Buffy knew a resolve face when she saw one, though, so she just nodded, choosing to let it lie for the moment.

After a few more minutes of pacing, Faith came back to her spot next to Buffy. The two looked out over the LA horizon, clearly neither one of them jumping at the bit to leave the roof and face reality just yet.

For Buffy, her thoughts were on Dawn. While things weren't fixed by a longshot, she definitely had some things to think about, all because of Faith... who was currently elbowing her in the side.

"On behalf of my ribs, what?" she asked, moving out of striking range as she spoke.

Faith shrugged nonchalantly, though Buffy could see the smirk playing around the corners of her mouth. "Nothing, just thinking that this is the first time we're on the roof of a building and we're not trying to kill each other," she explained.

Buffy snorted. "Yeah, it's a real watershed moment for us."

* * *

A/N: So yes, I'll be addressing the 'incident'. Because there are multiple POVs in this fic, however, I'll be looking at what went down those last few days in Sunnydale from multiple – and sometimes contradictory – angles.


	6. Chapter 6

Angel stormed into Wolfram &amp; Hart, his anger rising with every step. The only thing that kept him from hurling a chair out the window was that it was a bright sunny day in LA.

In the back of his mind, he knew he needed to get it together and calm down. Becoming head of the law firm was enough of an uphill battle without this little temper tantrum, and he was acutely aware of the looks he was receiving from his employees as they scrambled to get out of his way. There was also Eve. He needed another visit from her like he needed a cavity. At the moment, though, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

After everything he had done, Giles and the others had no faith in him. He could see it in their eyes. They were treating him like some damn kid who had bitten off more than he could chew instead of the centuries old vampire that he was. Xander even had the gall to call him Michael Corleone. It was irritating and infuriating, and yet Angel knew he shouldn't have been surprised.

For all they had seen and done, they were still kids, kids who saw things in black and white, color blind to the world in all its gory technicolor glory. Giles was the only exception, but he currently had his Watcher stick too far up his ass.

Even Buffy was struggling. Though she was giving him the benefit of the doubt, she knew him well enough to know something wasn't quite right; she knew he wasn't being completely honest with her and that made her wary. He couldn't tell her about Connor, though. If he did, he'd have to come clean about the memory spell he had placed on everyone, and he knew _her_ well enough to know that it wouldn't sit well.

The real twist of the knife was Faith, though. He thought she out of anyone would be on his side. And she had been… until last night, when he had offered to erase her past deeds from everyone's memories, even hers.

Angel felt his fangs extend just remembering the look on her face.

He was practically vibrating with anger by the time he reached his office. His mood didn't improve when he saw someone other than Harmony sitting at her desk.

"Who the hell are you?"

The red-headed woman jumped at the sound of his voice, her gaze skittering nervously, petrified. Feeling the tiniest pang of remorse, Angel tried to school his expression into a less angry glare. From the look of terror on her face, he wasn't successful.

"Na- Nadine Roman, sir, from steno," she stuttered. "Harmony asked me to fill in for her while she stepped out for a few minutes."

Angel snarled but said nothing. He was not happy with the situation, but it wasn't her fault, and he was liable to give the woman a heart attack if he said anything more. He simply vowed to himself to have yet another talk with Harmony about protocols before stalking into his office and slamming the door shut.

As he sat down at his desk, away from the prying yet terrified eyes, he felt his temper start to cool until he finally felt calm enough to tackle the work in front of him. Instead of reaching for the paperwork and mail piled on desk, however, Angel pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, one that had the number Finn had given to Buffy on it.

It was time he and Finn had a little chat.

* * *

Angel arrived much earlier than the agreed upon meeting time to get a lay of the land. As luck would have it, Finn had the same idea - except he had come even earlier. Angel spotted him immediately in the crowded station, sitting on a bench in the middle of the room. Though it looked like he was reading the book, Finn, the ever dutiful soldier, spotted him a split second later, a smirk on his face at his one upmanship.

Angel brushed it aside. All that really mattered was that Finn agreed to meet. If anything, this turn of events made things easier, giving Finn a false sense of security.

With that in mind, Angel sat down on the bench behind him, with only the slightest grunt of recognition.

He felt, rather than saw the way Finn rolled his eyes.

"I almost didn't come," the boy said, his tone conversational with only the slightest hint of animosity present. "But for you to call me? I figured it had to be good, even if I don't believe you want my help to keep Buffy safe."

Angel ignored his comment and got straight to the point. "What are your intentions with Buffy?"

Finn made a sound of incredulity. "Seriously? _This_ is why you called me? Aside from being none of your business, we have bigger problems to worry about."

"I was speaking on a professional level," Angel clarified, fully enjoying the other man's discomfort, discomfort he purposefully inflicted. "Feel free to expand on the question, though. I could use a good laugh."

Finn turned his head ever so slightly and glared. "It's like I said last night, We just want to talk, figure out what's going on and where we all stand."

"And if she doesn't want to?"

"She will," Finn stated.

Though his voice was confident, Angel heard the tiniest flicker of uncertainty there and pressed.

"But if she doesn't? Will you fall in line like a good soldier, or stand with Buffy? Can I count on you? Can Buffy count on you?"

Despite himself, Angel couldn't keep his own emotion out of the last question.

Not surprisingly, Finn shot to feet a moment later, steel in his voice as he spoke. "This meeting is over."

* * *

When Angel got back to the office, Nadine was sitting at Harmony's desk again.

She looked up at him fearfully as he passed by.

"Harmony's at lunch and she was worried that-"

Angel waved his hand dismissively as he brushed by her, walking into his office, knowing the mind reader would be there already. As soon as the door was shut and he was seated behind his desk, he gestured for her to begin.

"It was difficult, with the others there. My craft is not usually practiced under such... circumstances, and certainly not without eye contact. I was only able to catch glimpses into his mind," she said primly. "What I saw was schematics, floor plans of a hotel, including access tunnels. The young man was arguing with someone in front of them."

Angel frowned. "Did you see anything else?"

The mind reader hesitated. "Just one other thing. The answer to your question is yes."

Angel scowled. He knew that already, but hearing it from someone else struck the point home. Feeling agitated and needing to be alone, he waved his hand dismissively at the mind reader, who took the hint and started for the door.

Before she left, Angel called out to her.

"You won't tell anyone of this, correct?" he asked, letting the slightest hint of menace into his voice.

Paling ever so slightly, the mind reader shook her head. "No, sir. Of course not."

Satisfied, Angel nodded. "Good. You can go."

He was still as stone as he watched her hurry out of his office as quickly as she could. As soon as the door closed behind her, however, he began pacing back and forth.

It wasn't much to go on, but it sounded like the military was ready to use force if the situation required it. If that were true, it would be an unprecedented move, using force against US citizens on US soil. He wouldn't put it past them at all, though. As Xander had said, any military that could create the Initiative could not be trusted, not even with safety scissors.

They were also fools if they thought he would stand by and watch. He would do everything in his power to keep Buffy and the others safe, no matter what.

If she would let him. After all, if he was going to tell Buffy what he had discovered, he might have to tell her how he done it.

Angel rubbed his hand over his face. For the first time in 250 years, he was tired.

* * *

A/N: I know, I know. It's been forever since I updated, and now when I finally do, it's with a 'quieter' installment. Would it help if I said the next chapter will be Faith and Tony, Round 2?


End file.
